Fandor’s Chris Kelly Takes CEO Spot, Streamer Taps John Zamoiski as CMO
By Todd Spangler
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Chris Kelly, chairman of and principal investor in Fandor, has assumed the CEO role at the indie-film streaming service, and the company announced that longtime advertising exec John Zamoiski has joined as its first chief marketing officer.
The management changes come after the departure of Larry Aidem, who left last month after more than three years as CEO to join tech investment and consulting firm Reverb Advisors.
Kelly, formerly Facebook’s first general counsel and chief privacy officer, invested in Fandor in 2011. He also is part owner of the Sacramento Kings and serves as non-executive chairman of MoviePass, the struggling movie-subscription venture owned by Helios & Matheson Analytics.
In hiring Zamoiski, Kelly is stepping up efforts on marketing the Fandor service, which offers a selection of 4,000 independent films, international movies, documentaries and classic movies starting at $5.99 per month.
“John brings an unmatched breadth of entertainment and communications marketing experience to Fandor,” Kelly said in a statement. “His connectivity and understanding of audience motivation gives us a new way to look at what Fandor can be.”
Zamoiski most recently served as managing director of advertising agency Doner CX. During his career, he has founded three ad agencies, each of which have been acquired: Bottlerocket Marketing Group, Vertical Mix Marketing, and Vanguard Entertainment. He has worked with clients including brands like NBCUniversal Cable, Food Network, Verizon Fios, Comcast, A&E, HGTV, the Weather Channel, and Time Warner.
Zamoiski commented, “As we evolve to becoming more member-centric, I look forward to shaping the next chapter of the company with robust new programs for members to share great content along with innovative opportunities for brand partners.”
Along with Zamoiski’s appointment, San Francisco-based Fandor has hired a new director of marketing, Martina Rogers, who has previously worked at Audience Group, Hearst, WPP and Horizon Media.
Pictured above: (l.), John Zamoiski
